The Lone Warrior
by WoodElfJedi
Summary: When Elladan and Elrohir rescue a mysterious rider from wolves, no one knows who she is. Her past is mysterious, but she slowly begins to open up to the healing and love that Imladris holds. Legolas/OC Not your typical Legomance, I promise. This is a good, clean romance, but not so clean that it's boring. Please read and review! Image not mine.
1. The Wolves Part I

**Hey everyone! I'm back for another round!**

**So, this story is a Legomance, but I CAN promise you that it isn't your normal one.**

**This was just a random plot bunny that was begging to be fed, so we'll see how this goes.**

**I think the only other thing is an OC that everyone may or may not be familiar with.**

**He showed up in my other story, This is How We Met, briefly, but not long enough for anyone to remember, XD.**

**His name is Nordithen and he's the Captain of the Imladrian Guard.**

**Also, depending on how this goes, my other OC's, Arthiel and Bronadui may show up too, but like I said, we'll have to see!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the beginning of this wonderful tale!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, but if I did, I would tell you...**

* * *

A brown and white spotted horse was tiredly moving at a trot, along the road towards Imladris, it's head hanging and a person slumped along it's neck, unmoving.

The person's hood was up and it's cloak was torn and stained with a red substance. Blood.

The horse snorted and shook it's head, then suddenly picked up the pace, moving at a smooth run.

The person didn't move.

The horse sensed something bad and then it moved to a gallop, then a canter.

Then, a great howling arose from the woods surrounding them and the horse snorted and ran as fast as it could, scared and worried for it's rider and itself.

* * *

Elrond sat in a in a chair by the fire, fully dressed, and reading a book.

He couldn't sleep, surprisingly.

He felt extremely restless, which was unusual for the Lord of Imladris.

Finally, he closed his book, stood up and went to the window and looked out at the full moon.

That's when he heard the howls of the wolves.

He turned and left the room and went through the halls and towards a twin set of doors and he slipped into the right one, not making a sound.

"Elladan, awake. The wolves are about again."

Aforementioned elf stirred in his sleep and his eyes slid into focus.

Sitting up, Elladan faced his father and mumbled,

"That's the tenth time this month."

Elrond moved as his son swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

"It sounded like they were towards the North," Elrond said, as Elladan pulled out a pair of leggings and a tunic.

Elladan nodded. "Should I take a patrol?"

"Aye. I'll go alert Nordithen." Elrond swept out of the room to go alert Imladris' Captain of the Guard.

Elladan, still pulling his tunic on, opened the door that ajoined his and Elrohir's rooms.

He walked over to the bed and poked his twin in the ribs, effectively waking him up.

Elrohir shot straight up, long hair flying and a pillow made it's way towards Elladan's face. He ducked under it and said,

"The wolves are around again."

Elrohir glared at his brother. "And you just couldn't wake me up like a normal elf, could you?"

Elladan shrugged. "Since when are we normal?"

"Good point."

Elrohir got up and pulled on a tunic and leggings, while Elladan finished getting dressed and pulling his hair back in some simple braids and a low ponytail, for they were in a hurry. Elrohir did the same with his hair.

All of this took no longer than ten minutes.

The two grabbed their weapons and buckled them on, while they hurried down to the stables.

For the past month, Imladris had been plagued by a lone pack of wolves, who'd been roaming the forests at night, and making traveling unsafe, except for during the day.

Elladan, Elrohir, and most of the Imladrian scouts had been setting traps and trying to get rid of the wolves, but to little avail.

The wolves were uncannily clever, and seemed to avoid the traps with ease, but a few had fallen, well, prey, to the traps.

Now, they had finally decided to hunt them when ever they started to howl, and so far, this had been working, but the pack wasn't gone yet. It was still quite large, and Elladan and Elrohir were hoping to finish them off tonight.

Arriving at the stables, they found their horse ready and twenty of the Imladrian Guard, including Nordithen, on their horses, ready to go.

The Twins swung up onto their horses with ease and Elladan said,

"Ada said it sounded like the pack was to the North."

The warriors nodded and the company moved out into the darkness of the night.

* * *

The figure on the horse slowly drifted back to awareness and slowly moved their hand to grasp the reigns of the galloping horse.

Hearing the howls, the person seemingly tried to lift themselves up, but only collapsed back down with a whimper.

"Hurry, Luke. Hurry."

* * *

The company of warriors was quickly able to locate the wolves.

"Simply follow the howls," Elrohir muttered under his breath.

Elladan snickered quietly. The corners of Nordithen's mouth turned up slightly.

Coming to a halt, the twenty-two elves listen for a few minutes, locating exactly were the wolves were.

"Definitely coming from the North," Nordithen said.

"About fifteen of them?" A scout said, guessing.

"Twenty," the twins said, simultaneously.

"That's a big pack," Elrohir said.

"One for each of us," a warrior said.

"We'll see," Nordithen said, giving a small smile. A few chuckles arose.

Elrohir and Nordithen quickly laid out a plan.

It was simple. They would divide their force in half, and create a circle of sorts around the wolves and try to contain them and finish them off, while driving the towards the raging river that made up one of Imladris' borders, to make sure none were left.

Sort of cruel, but it needed to be done to ensure the safety of the people of Imladris and those who traveled the road.

"Everyone understand?" Nordithen asked. Everyone nodded and a few "Ayes" were heard.

"Then let's move out."

* * *

The figure laying still on the horse's back was beginning to worry. And lose hope.

"We're so far from home, Luke," the figure whispered.

"So far from home."

TBC...


	2. The Wolves Part II

The two groups of warriors moved into position and began to chase the wolves down.

Unknown to them, a lone rider was caught right the middle of their trap, for the wolves had surrounded the horse from both sides, but had yet to appear from the woods.

They slowly tightened their circle, and soon enough, they began to see the wolves.

The wolves were nearly as big as wargs, and had dark grey fur, almost black, but not quite.

It was a hunting pack, and they had smelled the scent of blood on the air.

Elrohir gave a hand signal and his group of warriors began to swing their horse towards the wolves, making the circle even tighter.

The wolves noticed and some began to try to escape, but those who tried were slain.

Some of the older wolves seemingly ignored the warriors and focused on their prey: The lone rider.

Faster they ran, and soon, they were no more than two or three yards away from the horse.

That's when they broke out from the woods and onto the road.

* * *

Elladan began to worry.

This wasn't a normal pack of wolves, he'd begun to realize.

They were hunting something. Or someone.

Elladan quickly dismissed the idea and focused on the task ahead.

He gave the hand signal a second before his twin did, but that was unknown to him.

Elladan's group was closer to the road, and that's when he saw the horse with a figure laying on its back.

Now he was really worried.

* * *

The person on the horse was fighting to remain conscious.

"Come on, you have to. Do you seriously want to be eaten alive?" The person croaked out softly to itself.

The person tried once again to move, but the only achievement was more pain.

Moaning softly, the figure was only able to tighten their hold on the reigns of the horse.

Struggling to look up, the person briefly got a glimpse of flickering lights, before everything went utterly black.

* * *

Elrohir noticed the horse almost the same instant one of his soldiers did.

"Sir, there's a horse in the middle of the wolves!"

Elrohir acknowledged the soldier with a grim nod.

Opening up the mental bond he had with his twin, he began to communicate with him, very concerned.

* * *

Elladan wasn't surprised when Elrohir's voice came filtering through his mind.

_"You saw the rider?"_

He gave a mental nod.

_"What are we going to do?" _Elrohir asked.

_"Is there some way we can create a path through the wolves, and see what's going on?" _Elladan replied.

Their bond was quiet for a moment, then it flared again.

_"I think so. If you're willing to suddenly break away and surprise them, I think we can finish them off, while rescuing the rider."_

_"Aye, I can do that."_

_"Be safe, Dan."_

_"You too, Ro."_

Their bond went silent and Elladan moved into action.

* * *

Nordithen was used to the twins suddenly doing something that wasn't according to plan, so it didn't surprise him at all when Elladan suddenly broke away from the group and dove into the pack of running wolves, his sword swinging left and right.

He too, had noticed the rider and had had a feeling that the two brothers were going to do something about it.

What surprised him, was when the horse and rider Elladan was trying to rescue, suddenly put on a burst of speed and veered towards the left, back towards Imladris, occasionally kicking a hoof out to ward away any wolves.

Startled, he gave the arranged signal and his group of warriors merged onto the road, along with Elrohir's, and they were quickly able to join Elladan.

After a quick, and slightly gruesome fight, for killing wolves is never easy, he reigned his horse in, along with the others and awaited orders.

* * *

Elrohir came to halt next to his older half.

"Are we going to follow him?"

Elladan nodded.

Turning around on his horse, he said to Nordithen,

"Nordithen, take care of the wolves and then head back to Imladris." Elladan's face was grim.

"We're going after that horse."

Nordithen nodded and saluted and began to give orders, while Elrohir and Elladan rode after the mysterious rider.

* * *

It was still dark outside, for dawn was a couple hours away.

Elrohir had lit a torch and was making full use of it, as he and his brother followed the trail of broken twigs and branches and trampled leaves.

They suddenly heard a loud whinny, not far ahead and they rode quickly towards the noise.

"Urgent sounding?" Elrohir asked.

"Definitely," was the reply.

The two rode into a clearing and were met with a sort of strange sight.

* * *

A cloaked and hooded figure was lying in the ground, unmoving, while the horse had gotten down on it's knees*, it's sides heaving, obviously exhausted. The horse was brown and had white spots on its coat.

The horse lay near the still figure, it's nose nudging it, as if trying to wake the person.

It whinnied loudly again and then did the rider stir, but only a little.

Elladan and Elrohir dismounted smoothly and made their way towards the mysterious pair.

The horse eyed them and then struggled to get up, despite it's weakened state.

Elladan quickened his pace and then knelt down in front of the horse and held his hand out, palm facing upwards.

The horse sniffed it suspiciously, then, as if deciding to trust the elf in front of him, tiredly nudged his hand with his nose.

Elladan stroked the velvety nose and spook soothingly to it.

Elrohir had grabbed his healer's kit and was currently kneeling down next to the figure, who was laying on their side, giving the appearance that they were asleep, for their arm was laying across their torso and an arm was flung above their head, cushioning it slightly.

Elrohir gently turned the person over and the tattered hood fell back, revealing the delicate features of an elleth.

"Oh my Valar!"

* * *

**Haha! I'm known for doing this... Actually, a lot of us FF writers are! XD**

***I know next to nothing on horses, so if this is wrong, saes forgive me...**

**One more thing:**

**If you've read my profile, you'll know that I'm not consistent on updating.**

**Anyway, please leave a review and I'll see you next time!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**#durinsday**


	3. Healing Part I

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1**

* * *

Elrohir held on tightly, but gently, to the unconscious elleth that was cradled against him, as he rode at a gallop towards Imladris.

The sun was just beginning to streak the sky in a myriad of pinks, purples, and oranges.

The elleth's hood was back, revealing a dirt streaked, bruised face and dark brown hair, that was held back in warrior braids.

White bandages were wrapped around her torso and her left shoulder and upper arm. They were slowly turning a bright red. Her face was flushed and hot with fever and her eyes were closed.

Elrohir had only been able to wrap bandages around her, for her injuries were too extensive and he did not have the supplies.

She had a deep wound in her side and from the looks of it, her left shoulder had been shot with an arrow and she had a deep gash on her upper arm.

Thankfully, none of her wounds were poisoned, but infection had set in from the lack of care and cleansing.

She had remained unconscious the entire time Elrohir had been riding, which wasn't unexpected, but it showed to some extent how injured she was.

But the red on the bandages kept spreading slowly.

Elrohir looked up from studying the elleth's face and was glad to see that he was approaching the Northern gates of Imladris.

Soon, they were galloping over a bridge and they went through an archway and came out into the main courtyard.

Elrohir reigned his horse in and came to a halt.

He gathered the elleth in his arms and then, rather expertly, swung his leg over and slid off the horse, landing with a quiet thud.

He shifted the his load slightly, then hurried up a small set of stairs and through a door and headed towards the Halls of Healing.

* * *

It had taken him awhile, but Elladan was able to get the brown and white spotted horse up on it's hooves and walking.

He had led the horse to a nearby stream and let him drink his fill.

Now they, the two horses and Elladan, were going at a walk along the road, for the injured rider's horse was extremely tired.

Elladan couldn't help snickering as the two horses seemed to converse with one another, as he walked between the two.

Elladan's horse, Rowan, snorted and the other horse shook it's head.

The other horse then whinnied and Rowan snorted, again, and nodded his head.

Elladan's mouth twitched. Then he burst out laughing.

Both horses eyed him, as if saying, _"What's wrong with you crazy elf?"_

Rowan snorted and nudged his laughing rider.

Elladan playfully pushed away the inquiring nose and said,

"Rowan, you might as well ask who his rider was!"

_I _was _doing that. Until you interrupted us._

Elladan snorted very un-elven like.

His horse eyed him and he could've sworn Rowan raised an eyebrow.

_Mhm, sure. Laugh all you want, but you won't be able to find out who they are._

"And why is that?"

_Because you don't speak horse._

Elladan shook his head.

"I'll never get the last word with you, will I?"

_Nope, you stubborn Noldor._

"Hey!"

Rowan gave the horse equivalent of a shrug.

_You know, Mirkwood horses know some pretty good insults._

The brown and white horse snorted, as if agreeing.

"Ah, mithro yrch, Rowan."

_Haha, very funny. I do believe orcs would run at the sight of a horse trying to mithro them._

Elladan sighed.

"Horses and their comebacks."

* * *

Elrohir spotted a servant walking towards him and hailed him.

"Finlar, can you please summon my father to the healing rooms?"

"Aye, _hir nin._"

The servant sped off, and Elrohir made his way quickly to the infirmary.

Opening a door to a room that he knew was empty, he walked in and layed the elleth on the bed and took off her cloak.

He began to gather the supplies that he knew he and his father would need.

* * *

"_Adar_, you wanted to see me?"

Legolas quietly shut the door to his father's study behind him and placed himself in a chair in front of Thranduil's desk.

Thranduil looked up from the stack of paperwork he was currently working on.

"Yes, _ion nin, _I did."

Rummaging through a drawer he pulled out a scroll and handed it over to Legolas, who took it and un-rolled it.

Thranduil smiled as he watched his beloved son's face.

First, Legolas' brow furrowed. Then, it slowly smoothed out to a blank expression, then it moved into one of happiness, yet, there was a hint of wariness, too.

"Soo, we've been invited to Rivendell for the yearly Midsummer ball, which is happening in three months" Legolas said slowly. He looked at the scroll again.

"Except, this time it's a masquerade."

Thranduil nodded, but didn't say anything, cause he knew that Legolas wasn't finished.

"But, there's a catch, isn't there?"

Thranduil nodded again and said,

"And I think you know what it is."

Legolas made a face.

"You want me to find a wife, don't you?"

"Aye." Thranduil leaned back in his chair.

"But, adar..."

"No buts, Legolas," Thranduil smoothly interrupted.

"Adar..."

"Legolas, let me speak."

Legolas slumped in his seat, looking displeased.

"Legolas, I _am _wanting you to find your other 'half' soon, but you refuse any elleth I put in front of you."

"For good reasons," Legolas grumbled under his breath. Thranduil sent a mild glare his way and continued.

"But, I'm willing to make an exception this time."

"And what is that?"

"That you'll at the very _least_, _possibly _find someone to consider."

Legolas coughed and straightened in his chair.

"_Just _to consider?"

"Just to consider."

Legolas thought for a moment then grinned and nodded.

"You've got yourself a deal, Ada, but I can't make any definite promises."

"I know, _ion, _I know."

* * *

Elrond finished stitching the elleth's wounds closed and then put a paste on them, to help get rid of the infection and to try to bring down her fever. He had managed to stop the bleeding and had cleaned the elleth's face of the grime, revealing a rather pretty face.

Elrohir handed the bandages to his father and then began to clean up the mess.

As Elrond finished tying off the bandages, the elleth began to stir and moan.

"Elrohir, grab a glass of water." Elrond sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on the girl's forehead. Elrohir was quick to obey his father.

The elleth's eyes slowly opened, revealing dark green eyes, that were slightly glazed with fever.

"W-where am I?" She croaked, looking panicked.

Elrohir came to stand next to his father, holding the glass of water.

"You're in Rivendell, in the Halls of Healing," Elrond said, giving the girl some water.

The water quickly disappeared and the elleth's eyes began to droop, but Elrond had one question.

"Do you have a name?"

The elleth's eyes widen slightly, but she responded weakly.

"Torien. My name is Torien."

Her eyes slipped shut.

* * *

**Ooh, so we finally get the rider's name!**

**I've been writing these very, very late at night, and I'm not feeling well *blows nose*, so this might not be of the best quality. :)**

**Oh, and if any of you who read this have read the Ranger's Apprentice series, you'll know where the horses "talking" scene idea came from. *snickers* Good ol' Tug... **

**Anyway, please, please, PLEASE leave a review!**

**I think all of us know how annoying it is ta have over a hundred people read our story and only three reviews.**

**Speaking of reviews, my thanks to the people who DID review! *hands out virtual cupcakes to those who reviewed***

**Oh, did I mention that you'll get a cupcake for leaving a review? (XD Aren't we writers so manipulative?:)**

**WoodElfJedi, out! *coughs* Whoops, sorry about that! *sneezes* Right, remember the Vampire Sneeze, kids! *covers mouth and nose area with elbow* (Sorry, sometimes I can't resist doing something from Ultimate Spider-Man!:)**

**#durinsday**


	4. Healing Part II

**Thanks to all the people who have reviewed, followed, and favorited! Virtual cupcakes all around!**

**To answer a question one reviewer had, yes, Dan, Ro, and Legolas are friends. This happens sometime after This is How We Met.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Well, let's see, shall we? *shuffles through papers***

**It appears that I don't own either of the twins *The twins cheer***

**Nor do I own Arwen *who claps gladly***

***reads through the rather long list***

**Well, it appears that I only own Torien. Phooey.**

* * *

Elrohir was placing a cool, damp cloth on Torien's brow, when he heard the soft footsteps of his twin.

"Did you take care of the horse?"

Elladan nodded as he pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed.

"You wouldn't believe what happened while I was walking back."

Elrohir raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically,

"Oh, I'm sure I can imagine a number of things happening to you, brother dear."

Elladan ignored the jab and continued.

"The horses had a conversation. And Rowan "talked" with me."

Elrohir snorted, most un-elven like.

"Are our horses just as crazy as us?"

"Probably, Ro."

Elladan looked at the elleth and asked,

"How is she?"

Elrohir sighed.

"We're not sure. The wounds she bears are very serious. If her fever doesn't rise, then there is a pretty good chance that she'll survive. If it does..."

"She may die," Elladan finished.

"I wonder who she is."

The twins turned around in their chairs and saw their sister, Arwen, gliding through the door, looking concerned.

She too, pulled up a chair and the three siblings sat there, studying the mysterious elleth.

"She said her name was Torien," Elrohir said.

"Mhm." Arwen picked up the dirty cloak and looked it over, as if searching for something.

"Brothers, look at this."

Elladan got out of his chair and moved over to were his twin and sister were bending their heads over the cloak.

"What is it."

Arwen showed him.

It was an device that had five leaves, three on top, two on the bottom. They were layered and a small vine appeared to hold the leaves together.

Arwen pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and she wiped the mud and blood off of it, revealing more of it.

Two great trees arched* over the five leaves. The color of all this was bronze.

"Do either of you know this?" Arwen asked, a frown marring her beautiful features.

"Well, we know that the two arching trees stand for Mirkwood," Elladan began.

"Beacuse, even though Legolas does have his own, personal, device, he has those two trees on it too, signifying that he's from, or part, of the Woodland Realm," Elrohir finished.

"But the leaves?" Arwen persisted.

The brothers shrugged. "We've never seen it before."

Silence fell over the room, as the siblings pondered the odd symbol.

Where was this Torien from? It appeared she was from Mirkwood, yet, she could've borrowed the device for her own purposes.

_'I suppose we won't know until she wakes up,_' Elladan thought.

_'If she wakes up.'_

LOTRLOTR

It was around sunset when Torien showed signs of waking.

Arwen had insisted that her brothers go and eat, while she kept watch over the elleth.

Elrohir had left instructions for Arwen, in case something happened.

And something was.

Arwen was wringing the cloth out and quietly humming to herself, when a moan came from the bed.

Dripping cloth still in her hand, she turned, and saw Torien shifting her head slightly and moving the fingers of her right hand, the one facing Arwen.

Torien's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open and she began to mutter incoherently.

Frowning, Arwen dropped the cloth back into the bowl of water and felt the girl's forehead.

Her frown deepened.

She was positive that the fever had risen. Very positive.

Turning, she rushed to the door and opened it and found a servant, bearing a tray, just outside the door, hand raised, as if to knock on it.

"Oh, here let me take that." Arwen grabbed the tray out of the servant's hands and set it down on the small table in the middle of the room.

The servant stood there, stunned by her lady's actions.

Turning back around, Arwen said,

"Can you please go summon my father and brothers? They are needed urgently."

The servant bowed and sped off, not saying a word.

Arwen hurried back over to Torien and bathed her brow.

It was the only thing to do until her _Ada _got here.

* * *

**Ooh, cliffy! Dun, dun, DUN!**

***If you're familiar with how the Gates of Moria look, that's the basic idea of how the trees look.**

**My mind's already whirling and cranking, so another chapter will be coming soon!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**P.S. I don't know how many Star Wars fans are reading this, but have any of you seen the trailer for the second season of Star Wars Rebels? I got so excited! I mean, OH MY GOSH! REX AND AHSOKA ARE BACK!**

**Okay, please excuse the rant, I couldn't help myself. *clears throat***

**Anyway...**

**#durinsday**


	5. The Royal Family Part I

***snickers* Well, I am most positive that this chapter won't be what you expected!**

**I just love to hold you guys (and gals!) in suspense! It makes reviews more interesting, hint hint. :)**

**Thx to the 600+ people who've read this! You're all awesome!**

**On a side note, and completely off topic, who here has seen the Star Wars Rebels Season 2 trailer? I swear on Durin's beard that that is the ONLY time I have ever squealed and nearly cry, while watching a trailer, which is highly unusual for me...**

**Well, actually, I did have tears in my eyes when I saw the teaser for BOTFA, but that's beside the point...**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Legolas knocked on his _Naneth's_ sitting room door.

"Come in," a female voice said.

Legolas pushed the door open and walked in, seeing his mother by the fireplace, a piece of embroidery in her hands.

He strode over to her and plopped down into the chair next to her.

"What did I say about plopping on my furniture, Legolas Thranduilion?"

Legolas winced. _"Amin hiraetha, Naneth._ I was just speaking with _Adar_ about the invitation from Lord Elrond."

Geliriel didn't say anything, sensing that her son wasn't finished.

Legolas opened his mouth, paused, then closed it and gathered his thoughts, before he spoke.

"Why does Father want me to find a wife? I'm getting kind of tired of every "eligible" _elleth_ being set before me."

Geliriel chuckled quietly, and layed her embroidery on the side table to her left.

"It's not funny, Mother," Legolas said, pulling a face.

"I'm not laughing at your predicament, Legolas. I'm laughing at how hard your father tries and fails at finding you a wife." She giggled like a little girl, to which Legolas raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay, _Naneth?"_

She nodded, still giggling.

"Matchmaking was never a strong point of your father's," she said.

"Oh, really?"

Geliriel and Legolas turned in their chairs to find Thranduil leaning on the doorway, a stern expression on his face.

"How much did you hear?" A suspicious look came over Geliriel's face, even though she knew Thranduil was teasing.

He came walking over to her and said, "Enough to know that you're plotting against your king."

Geliriel played along, keeping an equally serious face.

"Treason, _hir nin?_ Valar forbid!"

Thranduil was now standing over his beautiful wife, painting a slightly menacing figure against the yellow light of the fire, his shadow spreading over her. Legolas watched silently, amused by his parents' actions.

"Valar forbid, indeed." Thranduil pretended to ponder something, then turned to Legolas.

"Legolas, what was the punishment for treason again? Was it a thousand years in the dungeon, execution, or a severe tickle?"

A look of mock horror came over Geliriel when she heard the various punishments.

"You wouldn't dare, Thranduil! Putting your sickly wife in the dungeons? You should be ashamed!"

Actually, Geliriel was anything but sickly.

A hundred years, or so, before Legolas had been born, Geliriel had been leading a patrol through the Southern parts of Mirkwood when they had been ambushed.

Everyone had made it out alive, but not without injury.

Geliriel had been hit by a javelin on her right leg, severely injuring it. She had come home, unconscious and bleeding heavily, but thankfully, the healers were able to save her.

But she was left with a limp for the rest of her immortal life.

So, she had been unable to continue serving in the Mirkwood army, and that was around the time when she met Thranduil and had married him.

Ninety-eight years later, their little family was extended with the edition of Legolas, who'd brought joy and happiness to the young couple.

So, it had become a joke among themselves and their closest friends that Geliriel was "sickly", because sometimes when it was damp or rainy, her leg would ache.

"I am the King. I can do as I dare," Thranduil replied.

_"Adar,_ I think I remember the punishment," Legolas said, trying his hardest to keep a straight face.

Thranduil backed away a couple feet from Geliriel and turned towards Legolas.

"What was it, Legolas?"

Geliriel was slowly standing up, knowing what was coming.

"I believe it was a thousand years in the dungeon."

"Well, the dungeon it is, your royal High..." Thranduil trailed off, noticing the empty chair. Geliriel had disappeared from her chair, and was going as fast as she could with her limp across the room, hoping to get to the bathroom before Thranduil caught her.

"Oh no you don't!"

It took Thranduil five big strides to reach his giggling wife and sweep her into his arms, a great big smile crossing his face.

Legolas began to laugh, as his father tickled his mother, who's shrieks and laughter filled the room.

_"Ooof."_

The air left Thranduil's lungs as one of Geliriel's arms caught him in the stomach.

Taking the opportunity, Geliriel slid from his arms and dashed behind Legolas' chair, saying,

"Oh, protect me, my brave blond archer!"

Legolas rose from the chair and bowed to his mother.

"I will, with my utmost skill, milady."

Turning and standing straight, he found himself eye to eye with his father's piercing, yet amused, glare.

Thranduil took a step forward and accidentally tripped over his son's outstretched foot.

He crashed head first into Legolas, who windmilled widely for a second, before crashing backwards into his mother.

The three blond elves fell in a heap onto the floor, arms, legs, and three different shades of blond hair tangled.

All three burst out laughing. It was a rather hilarious moment, one of the few that were enjoyed among the Royal family.

After they were finished laughing, they untangled themselves and sat around the fire in various positions in their chairs.

Geliriel sat poised in her chair, while Thranduil had one of his legs draped over the edge of the chair arm.

Legolas completely ignored any sort of royal posture and sat in his chair sideways, his long legs hanging over the sides of the arms. Typical.

After a few moments of silence, Thranduil answered Legolas' question.

"I want you to be happy. That is why I have been pressing you."

"But I'm perfectly happy right now!"

"Are you?"

Legolas nodded, absolutely sure.

Geliriel spoke.

"I think what your _Adar_ is trying to tell you also, is that he would like to see his grandchildren before he sails."

_"Naneth,"_ Legolas stressed, turning slightly pink.

"Your mother stands partially correct," Thranduil said.

Legolas sighed.

"Father, please let me find my love in my own time. _Saes?"_

Thranduil opened his mouth to protest, but Geliriel shot him a look that said otherwise. He huffed quietly.

"All right."

A smile broke across Legolas' face.

"Thank you, _adar."_

* * *

**Was I right, or was I right that you weren't expecting Legolas' mother to show up?!**

**I had that thought come to mind late last night (It's very early morning for me, right now) and I just had to write it!**

**Elvish:**

**Amin hiraetha: I'm (I am, occasionally) sorry**

**Naneth: Mother**

**Adar: Father**

**Saes: Please**

**Please review! They motivate me greatly and help chapters be written faster!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**#durinsday**


	6. Fading Part I

**Long story short, internet was out for awhile, BUT *pauses***

**I'm going to try to write a few chapters to make up for it.**

**Oh, and I'm going to be trying to update once a week, every Friday night. But, I'll warn you now, I'm just trying this updating once a week thing, and I might (and probably will XD) fail at it, but we'll see!**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**P.S. How many of you like the edition of Legolas' Naneth? Surprise, surprise! I wasn't expecting that myself, really! **

**All right, time for me to shut up and let you read! :[]**

"_Adar_! Her fever has risen greatly!" Arwen cried, when she saw her father and brothers come through the door.

Elrohir, who was the last to come in, immediately spun on his heel and raced back out the door, to the main Halls, to get the supplies that he knew his _adar _would need.

Elrond hurried over to the bedside and placed a gentle hand on the _elleth's _forehead. He frowned when he felt it.

"Elladan, I need you to fill the tub with lukewarm water, right now _saes,_" he said, as he began to check Torien's wounds again.

Elladan made his way to the bathroom and Arwen soon heard the sound of running water.

Right when Elrond pulled back the bandages, Torien began to mutter and toss her head around.

"_Law! Law!_" She said, her voice low. "_Daro. Saes, daro!" _Torien began to thrash around violently, her voice rising in volume.

"Arwen, grab her arm and help me hold her down and calm her!" Elrond ordered.

Arwen quickly obeyed and suddenly began to softly sing a song her mother used to to her and her brothers when they were little.

_"Hush now, little one._

_There's no need to cry._

_You're safe here in my arms._

_Hush now._

_Hush now._

_The sun is now fading, the stars are awakening,_

_The animals are sleeping now,_

_As are the birds and trees._

_There's no need to be afraid,_

_You're safe here in my arms,_

_Tonight..."_

As Arwen sang, Torien began to stop her thrashing and she became still enough that Elrond was able to examine her wounds better.

The wounds were still red and tender, but there was no sign of pus. Elrond mentally sighed in relief, but that didn't explain the high fever.

On further examination, he realized that the _elleth _was dehydrated and undernourished. Not the best thing to happen at the moment, but with the casualties that his sons and Legolas brought upon themselves, this was a lighter case, if you could call it that.

"Father, the bath is ready."

Elrond acknowledged Elladan with a nod of his head, and scooped Torien up, walked over to the bathroom and placed her in the half filled tub gently. He left the nightgown on for the sake of modesty.

"Arwen, come help me," he called.

Arwen came and the two began to work on trying to lower the mysterious warrior's fever.

_Some hours later..._

Elrond placed another cool cloth on Torien's brow and glanced over at his dozing daughter.

Smiling, he got up and went over to her and knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

"_Losta_?"

Arwen smiled sleepily at her _adar_. "A little."

Elrond smiled back at her. "Why don't you go to bed?"

Arwen yawned, making him chuckle. "Aye, I think I will."

Standing up along with her father, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, _adar._"

"Goodnight, my _bain iell._"

Arwen closed the door behind her softly. Elrond resumed his post beside the _elleth's _bed.

He allowed himself to release a loud sigh, which was unusual for him. Today had been a rather tiring day.

First, it was the pack of wolves, then the mountains of paperwork (Erestor and himself said that they were both a few hundred years behind on), then Elrohir came riding back to Imladris with an injured elf, then the mishap with cleaning supplies and laundry (Don't ask. And it wasn't the twins for once.), and the the rest of the evening had been taken up with dinner and the injured elf's fever going up.

Thankfully, and rather surprisingly, Elrond and Arwen had been able to bring down the _elleth's _fever considerably, but it was still high.

He had sent his sons out of the room and he and Arwen had redressed the wounds and replaced the soaked nightgown with a clean fresh one, courtesy of Arwen's wardrobe. The two females were about the same size.

Then, they had managed to get some liquids into the _elleth_.

Since sundown, the fever had gone down further, but it still lingered stubbornly.

Elrond was surprised had how fast the fever was dropping. It was very unusual, but he wouldn't be surprised if it spiked again.

He frowned. Something wasn't right.

Removing the damp cloth from Torien's head, he placed his hand on it. His frown deepened and he felt her arm.

They were cold. There was barely any warmth left in her skin!

He felt for a pulse and at first, he didn't feel anything. Then, he felt an extremely faint and fluttering one. But he was still worried.

Her breath was irregular and very light.

Elrond was now extremely worried.

Placing his hand on her forehead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Torien.

He now knew what was happening.

Torien was fading.

_**Elvish Translations**_

_**Elleth**_**: Female elf**

_**Law**_**: no! don't!**

_**Adar**_**: Father**

_**Losta**_**: Sleep (In this case, I was using it as 'sleepy')**

_**Bain**__**iell**_**: Beautiful (**_**Bain**_**), daughter (**_**iell**_**) (**_**Bain **_**also means fair)**

_**Daro**_**: Stop**

_**Saes**_**: Please**


	7. Fading Part II

**Note: **_**For the first part of this, any conversation that takes place is in Elvish.**_

_**After a line break, like the one below, any Elvish used will be clearly apparent.**_

_**Enjoy**_

* * *

_It seemed to be really windy, for Torien felt her hair and the clothes that she had on whipping around her. But, whenever she moved in one direction, there wasn't any resistance._

_Glancing down, she saw that she was clad in a simple white nightgown that came down to her ankles._

_Looking back up, she glanced behind her and saw a wall. She turned and walked towards it._

_The wall was about four feet high and a bright golden light seemed to glow and flicker behind and over it._

_Reaching the wall, she was met with the most beautiful and fair sight she had ever seen._

_"Oh," Torien gasped._

_The land on the other side of the wall was lit by a gentle sun. There were rolling hills and the grass was green and flowers were everywhere._

_Giant Mallorn trees dotted the landscape, providing shade for the laughing and dancing elves._

_Elflings were running around and picking flowers. They were everywhere._

_"Elflings," Torien muttered. "There are elflings!"_

_Suddenly, several of the older elves turned and looked at her._

_"Come! Come and join us!" They cried out to her, hands outstretched in a welcoming manner._

_Torien placed her hand on the wall, but then stopped her self. _

_Something wasn't right. Glancing around behind her, the landscape was dreary and gloomy._

_Aye, there were tall trees, but they appeared to be dead. Actually, everything on her side of the wall mirrored the land in front of her, but it was all dead. _

_No elves, big or small, were dancing or laughing._

_It was empty._

_"That is your world, dear sister."_

_Torien froze and slowly turned around. And met the blue eyes of her brother._

_"It cannot be," she whispered._

_The ellon grinned. "Oh, it can be, my blazing flower."_

_Torien felt tears come to her eyes when she heard her brother call her that._

_"You remember."_

_"How could I not?" The ellon gestured behind him. "Come join us."_

_"Come and be merry once again."_

_"She cannot join you. It is not her time," a rich voice said._

_Torien turned around to see an ellon approaching them, but his features were blurry. All she could make out dark hair and that long robes that clothed him._

_He stopped about six feet away from the wall and Torien herself._

_"You do not belong here, young one," he said. "Come back to the light."_

_Torien felt something on her hand and suddenly, warmth filled her, from head to toe._

_Looking back at her brother, she saw he had placed his hand on hers._

_"Come, do not listen to the naysayer. Come with me. Come _back _to me."_

_Torien looked back at the elf. Suddenly, pain flared through her body and she bent double, her hand wrenching its self away from her brother. Memories flashed before her eyes._

_The fire burning the houses and trees._

_The orcs sacking her village._

_Running through the woods, terrified._

_Training with the Woodland Guard._

_Fighting the numerous orcs and spiders._

_Leaving of her own accord._

_Another battle._

_But with that one, she was nearly killed._

_Then it hit her, as the pain slowly disappeared._

_She was on the edge of life and death._

_Literally._

_She slid down the edge of the wall and sat down and placed her head in her hands. Then she looked up at the ellon six feet from her._

_"Do I have a choice?" She asked. The ellon sighed. It was like a whisper of the wind._

_"You're not _supposed _to be here, but if you choose to cross the wall, you are forfeiting your life."_

_He raised his hand, and the rough winds died down and Torien heard his voice, as loud as thunder._

_"Aye, it is your choice. I cannot change the path set out for you." The ellon bowed his head. "I can linger here no longer." The dark head came back up._

_"I leave you to your choice, Torien, daughter of Túveren." With those words, the ellon disappeared with a flash of light._

_Torien got up from her sitting position and faced her brother, who looked expectantly at her._

_"Will you come?" He asked, hope evident in his voice. "Or will you go back to Arda?" _

_Torien sighed unhappily and grabbed her brother's hand where it rested on the wall. Again, warmth filled her, but the pain wasn't as bad as before. It was only a throb._

_"I..I don't know what to do," she said. "I so dearly want to be with you again, but.."_

_"But you still want to have adventures and maybe a family, don't you?" Her brother finished for her. Torien nodded, a great feeling of sadness, mixed with a little guilt, flooding over her like a wave._

_Her brother looked at her, his head cocked to the side slightly._

_"Torien, if that is what you want, then do it," he said firmly. "I will not hold you back." A small, mischievous smile came across his face. "Besides, I have all eternity to see you again, so take your time!"_

_Torien laughed, feeling relieved._

_"Then I will see you sometime, dear brother?" She said, smiling._

_"Aye, you will. Like the elf said, it is not your time yet, even if I tried to persuade you," was the reply._

_"Farewell then," Torien said. "I'm off to find the sun again."_

_Turning, she began to walk away, her brother watching her. Suddenly, Torien turned around a ran back to the wall._

_"I have but one question to ask you," she said, as she came to a halt._

_"Do you blame me for running away? For your...death?"_

_Her brother's gaze bore into her eyes._

_"Torien, I do not blame you for anything that had part in my death, or the destruction of our village."_

_Torien felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, mentally and physically, and she sighed in great relief._

_"You should not blame yourself, Torien. It wasn't your fault."_

_"But I _ran. _I was terrified!"_

_"Torien, Torien," her brother said gently. "Do not blame yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. No one's perfect."_

_Suddenly, a wave of pain swept over Torien and she groaned and fell to one knee._

_"You need to go. Now."_

_Torien nodded as the pain subsided. She stood and looked at her brother once last time. For now, anyway._

_"Farewell, brother mine."_

_"Farewell, sweet sister."_

_Torien turned and ran as fast as she could._

_She did not look behind her._

_She did not wish to, and regret her decision._

_The gray world around her began to wrap and spin and it became a hazy, gray fog._

_Torien felt herself fall and everything went black._

* * *

When Elrond returned to the materiel world, he slumped in his chair, exhausted.

The effort of finding Torien, and then standing there at the wall, was great.

He just now had to wait to see what Torien's choice was.

Death, or Life.

* * *

_A few minutes later..._

Elrond jerked awake, realizing he must of dozed off.

Torien's eyes were stilled closed and she didn't appear to be breathing.

Standing up, he felt for a pulse and felt his heart sink.

There wasn't a pulse at all.

_'Then she has resigned herself to the Valar,' _Elrond thought.

He was pulling away and turning around, when he heard a gasp behind him.

Turning swiftly, he was shocked at what he saw.

Torien's cheeks were rosy and her chest was moving up and down regularly, as she breathed deeply.

Elrond quickly felt for a pulse and was surprised to find a steady, strong beat beneath his fingertips.

"_Hannon le."_

Elrond looked at Torien's face.

Her eyes were wide open, revealing brilliant green eyes, tired looking, but still sparkling.

"_Hannon le_," she said again, a ghost of a smile flitting across her face.

Elrond nodded, smiling. The _elleth _lived.

Torien's eyes slid shut, and with a sigh, she slipped into a deep healing sleep.

"Sleep well, Torien Túvereniel. Valar knows that you need it."

* * *

**So, did you guys like this chapter? I hope you did!**

**The idea for the 'wall' came from the book series, **_**Adventurers Wanted**_**. (It's a pretty good series, btw.)**

**Now we know who Torien's father was! But what's her brother's name, I wonder... XD (I purposefully left his name out for a reason. What that reason is, you'll find out in later chapters:))**

**Just to let you all know, Elladan and Elrohir aren't going to be seen as frequently, in the next few chapters.**

**Oh, and scratch what I said about updating in the last chapter... XD, did I fail, or what?! (Hey, it's a good fail, though!)**

**Oh, one last thing.**

**I'm sure a lot of you know that Nepal was hit with a 7.9 earthquake a few days ago.**

**A friend of mine on here is a missionary there, and she's going out for the next week and half to do disaster relief work. I would like to ask if y'all could pray for her and the people recovering from the earthquake.**

**It would mean a lot. **

**See you again soon!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**#durinsday**


	8. Waking Up

**This story should be going a little faster, since I've gotten the last chapter out and posted. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Torien felt herself surfacing through many layers of consciousness. She didn't feeling pain though.

As she came more and more awake, she faintly heard someone humming. Or was it singing?

Finally, she hit the last layer and pried her eyes open slowly. Sunlight hit her eyes and she slammed them closed.

"Here, let me close the curtains," a musical voice said.

Torien heard the rustling of clothes and then the bright light disappeared.

"There, try that now," the voice said.

Torien reopened her eyes and saw a beautiful elleth standing over her.

She blinked, not sure if she was hallucinating. The elleth smiled.

"I am Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond," she said.

"The Evenstar?" Torien winced at how rough and weak her voice sounded.

Arwen nodded as she handed Torien a glass of water, which Torien drank slowly, knowing from past experiences.

"You have been unconscious for the past three days," Arwen said, setting the glass down and resuming her seat. "How do you feel?"

Torien moved her limbs around underneath the covers and only felt a twinge of pain from the wound on her torso and shoulder.

"Fine. Just stiff and honored to be in your presence, milady," she replied.

"Please, call me Arwen."

Torien smiled, her deep green eyes sparkling. Arwen smiled back, for it was infectious.

"I think it was your father that pulled me from the brink of death."

Arwen nodded. "Your temperature plummeted, until you were nearly as cold as ice." Torien paled slightly.

"I was that cold?"

"Aye, so my _adar _says."

"I didn't know I was that far gone," Torien said quietly. Arwen was slightly puzzled.

"What do you mean?" She asked, curious. Torien sighed and then tried to raise herself up.

"Here, let me help you."

Arwen jumped up and fixed the pillows that were behind Torien and helped her sit up.

Torien was quiet for a minute.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Arwen said.

"No, no, it's fine. Just..." Torien trailed off and looked at the covered window.

"Is your father busy?" She asked, finally looking back at Arwen.

"I don't think so."

"Arwen, it would be best if your _Adar _also heard the answer to your question."

Arwen nodded and got up and went to get Elrond.

Torien settled back against the pillows and sighed.

_'It's best that it gets out now, instead of later. You know that Torien. You know,' _Torien thought to herself.

* * *

**I'm unsure about this chapter. I feel like it was... weird, odd, I don't know... What do you guys think? I think it's pretty good, but does something feel like it's missing?**

**Next chapter should be up by tomorrow, possibly. Maybe tonight. I already know what's going to happen...**

**WoodElfJedi, out.**

**#durinsday**


	9. This is My Story

***dodges bagel* Wait, a bagel? *shakes head* Silly imagination. And yes, I KNOW I'm late with this chapter! You know, it's not so easy to write someone's life story! :)**

**If you would like to get into the 'mood' of this chapter, I would suggest at the line, **_**"after everyone was seated..."**_**, you turn **_**The Lost Tale **_**by Brunuhville on. Or, you can listen to it from the beginning, your choice.**

**I hope you all like this chapter.**

**It was kind of hard to write...**

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

"_Adar_?" Arwen stepped into her father's study.

Elrond looked up from a rather large stack of papers he was working on.

"Is Torien alright?" He asked, looking concerned.

Arwen nodded. "Aye, she is. She woke up a few minutes ago."

A troubled look came over her face.

"She would like to talk to you and me," Arwen said.

Elrond nodded, getting out of his chair.

"Fetch Elladan and Elrohir, Arwen." He turned to the doorway.

"If I'm guessing correctly, they will need to hear this too."

He left the room and Arwen went to gather her brothers.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

"Why would _Adar _want us?" Elladan asked.

Arwen sighed. "It would be best if he just explained it to you, alright?"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to be so snippy about it!"

Arwen slapped her oldest brother (Elladan) on the back of his head.

"Oww," he whined.

"Don't whine!" Elrohir and Arwen said in unison, grinning.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side," Elladan groused at his brother.

Elrohir shrugged. "As the middle child, I can change sides whenever I want."

Arwen grinned. "He's got you there, Dan."

Elladan grumbled jokingly under his breath. Verbal sparrings/battles weren't uncommon between the three siblings. Usually, Arwen won, but there was the occasional victory for the twins.

Arwen knocked on the door leading to Torien's bedroom and was given permission to enter.

"Torien, these are my oldest children, Elladan and Elrohir," Elrond said, as they entered the room. "Elladan, Elrohir, this is Torien."

The two brothers gave a small bow and smiled at Torien, who inclined her head and a ghost of a smile flitted across her face.

_'Twins. That will make it even harder to tell which is which,' _she thought, but it wasn't a completely negative thought.

"They were the ones who rescued you and your horse."

Torien smiled. "I hope Luke wasn't for much trouble for you," she said.

"Luke?" Elrohir questioned.

"Aye, a rather odd name for an elven horse, I know. It just kind of stuck," Torien replied. "It's a story for another time, I believe."

Elrohir nodded.

Torien turned her head towards Elrond.

"Shall I begin?" She asked. He nodded and Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen went for the different chairs scattered around the bed.

After everyone was seated, Torien began her story.

"Arwen has told me of what happened when my temperature dropped." She took a deep breath, calming her self slightly. Stupid nerves.

"I made a comment about how I didn't know I was that far gone and Arwen asked me what I meant." She sighed quietly.

"The easiest way to...explain it, is to tell you my story."

Elrond leaned forward in his chair. "Are you sure about this?"

Torien nodded slowly. "I am sure."

She looked down at her hands. "I would rather I told you now, rather than later."

She took another deep breath and began.

"My _Adar's _namewas Túveren. He was the owner and lord over a small section of land in the southern parts of Mirkwood, well before the darkness from Dol Guldur began to spread." Torien's face darkened slightly.

"I also had a _Naneth _and an older brother, who was part of the Woodland Guard for a short period of time. My brother and I, we were very close."

Torien twisted the blanket in her hands, as she thought about her brother. Oh, how she missed him so!

"One day, we heard news about bands of orcs coming from seemingly out of no where and attacking the small villages scattered across Mirkwood, Greenwood then. Most of the attacks were centered on the southern parts. We didn't know it then, but that was when Dol Guldur was beginning to rise."

"My brother was on leave from the Guard, a few weeks after the reports started flooding in. It was his third night home, when the orcs attacked."

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall. She would not let them fall.

"It was pitch black outside. It was a night of no moon. The orcs descended upon my village, bringing fire and destruction. We were unprepared for such an attack."

"The orcs began to set the houses and flets alight, and they began to kill everything that was in their path."

Torien couldn't help the tear that trickled down her cheek. Arwen handed her a handkerchief, her heart filled with sorrow at what she had heard.

"It didn't matter if it was an elfing or an animal, they killed it."

"My brother stood up against them, trying to protect my mother and me. _Naneth _was caught by a stray arrow and she fled to Mandos soon after. My brother yelled for me to run, to find help. Frightened, I ran for my life through the woods, hoping to just get away from the destruction and horror I had just witnessed."

Torien smiled sadly. "I was only twelve summers old."

Arwen couldn't help the gasp that escaped her and her brothers' faces darkened, as did Elrond's.

"I didn't know what happened to my father, until a few years ago. He was captured and taken to Dol Guldur and he..."

Arwen scooted her chair closer and held onto Torien's hand, as she cried.

"He didn't make it," Torien whispered, her tears slowing down.

Elrond's face was grim, as were Elladan and Elrohir's.

Arwen kept her hold on Torien's hand, as she continued her story.

"I don't know how long I ran, it must have been a couple days. I happened upon a patrol, starving and traumatized from what I had seen. They managed to calm me down enough to eat something and then they took me back to the Elvenking's halls, where I was put under the care of an elleth."

At this, Torien smiled slightly, remembering. "Once I was old enough, I applied for a position in the Woodland Guard. I wanted to avenge my parents and brother and all the others of my village."

By this time, Torien's voice had grown hoarse and she glanced over at the empty water glass, unintentionally.

Elrond saw her look and he got up and filled it and handed it to her.

Torien nodded her thanks and drained the water. She felt better after that.

She held the glass in her free hand and continued.

"I finished my training quickly, powered by the want to get revenge. Thankfully, I had one friend that kept me from driving myself into the ground and becoming arrogant. I will be eternally grateful."

Arwen let go of Torien's hand and pulled the glass out of her hand and set it back down on the table.

"Anyway, I was put on a patrol that was mostly stationed on the fringes of the Southern parts, which we were losing to the orcs at a steady rate, to our surprise and anger."

Torien closed her eyes for a moment, a look of something that Elrond couldn't place, on her face.

"Torien, if you need to stop..." He began, but Torien shook her head.

"No, Lord Elrond," she replied. "I would like to tell you now, rather than later. I would rather that you knew who I was."

Torien opened her eyes and looked directly at him.

"I mean no disrespect, my lord." Elrond nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"The commander of my patrol was loved by all. He was an excellent strategist and knew exactly were to put everyone and who to send out on scouting missions, you name it. But, unfortunately, he was killed about three years or so after I had been assigned. The new commander, a lot of us didn't like him. His views of how we should attack and how commands went were..." She trailed off.

"Our old commander had given everyone, no matter what their rank was, permission to voice their thoughts on a battle plan. It was a great help for planning, because sometimes he may have missed something or it needed to be tweaked and someone could point it out, without the fear of getting a tongue lashing." She sighed.

"I held out for a couple of months on the new commander, but I never was able to like him, like our previous commander. One night, we were attacking a pack of orcs, about fifty or so in size and something in the plan went wrong, and because all of us were so used to our old commander, and what we used to do when ever something had gone wrong, we unintentionally began to improvise, solely out of habit, just like we used too. We completed our mission, but the commander was so furious, he couldn't see the victory. He could only see that we had "disobeyed orders", according to him."

Torien sighed and took a deep breath.

_'Boy, I haven't talked this much in a _long _time' _she thought.

"That evening, our entire patrol sent in forms of complaints and the request for a new commander, but five of us, including me, put our resignation in and left the Guard for other positions. Except, I left, altogether."

"I thought that once you made a commitment to the Woodland Guard, you couldn't leave," Elrohir said.

"That was before the Southern parts of Mirkwood were lost," Torien replied. "After that happened, your position in the Guard became permanent, unless otherwise."

Elrohir nodded his understanding and Torien continued.

"I left Mirkwood and went up North and sought out the Dunedain. I lived with them for many years and I enjoyed it greatly. They're so different from elves. No offense," she said hastily.

"None taken," Elrond said, smiling.

"Where was I? Oh, yes. After a quite a few years, I decided that I wanted to see Middle Earth a little." She grinned. "Imladris was on my list."

Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen burst out laughing, while Elrond chuckled.

"I suppose you didn't mean like this?" Elladan asked, grinning and still chuckling.

"Nay, I didn't," Torien replied, smiling.

"And that's my story," she concluded.

Torien suddenly felt exhausted and slumped forward slightly.

Arwen caught her and raised her back up, helping her lay down.

"Guess that took more out of me than I thought," Torien said tiredly.

Elrond stood, as did Elladan and Elrohir, who quickly left the room, understanding.

"_Hannon le _for telling us your story," Elrond said.

"Sleep well, Torien."

Torien's eyes slid close and she slept.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**So, was anyone teary eyed or not? Like I said, this was kind of hard to write. I tried my best to make it emotional. :/**

**Anyway, I looked up the date of Midsummer and apparently it's June 20th. Yes, I didn't know that! But, now I do! **

**So, it's about March...10th. Yes, it's March 10th. (It that right? Is that really three months from June 20th?) I'm going to start counting down the days/weeks until Midsummer's Day, just so you guys [and myself] know where we are. *snickers* I can hardly wait for Legolas to appear, hehe! You wouldn't believe what I have planned for how he and Torien meet! *cackles* Where the Valar did that come from?! XD**

**Oh, and I looked at the numbers of chapters I've written so far, and I went, "Oh Valar, this is going to be a LONG story. Great." (Note the sarcasm) I thought I was going to be able to do this in 14 chapters! What was I thinking?! LOL**

**See you soon!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**P.S. The emblem on Torien's cloak will be explained sometime soon, I promise. Probably about five more chapters? It's going to depend. If you don't see it by five chapters, remind me. **

#**durinsday**


	10. The Bead

***sighs* Yep, this is definitely going to be a lloonngg story. Anyone else agree? :)**

**_THELONEWARRIOR _**

_One week later. 14 weeks before Midsummer._

Torien sat in a chair on her balcony, eyes closed and basking in the sun. She sighed in contentment, glad to be out of bed.

It had been a week since she'd told Elrond and his family her background. Thankfully, they hadn't brought it up and had treated her as if they had known her for years. Over the past few days, she and Arwen had become friends, despite the fact that Torien was a warrior and Arwen was a lady, and the Evenstar to boot. Arwen didn't seem to care about Torien's status, and Torien was beginning to feel comfortable enough around her, that she would occasionally crack the "As you say, milady," or something along the lines of that. Arwen took it in good humor, secretly glad that Torien wasn't dark and grim, like she would've expected from someone with a past so dark. But, Torien was still Torien, and that meant that she was still healing, physically and mentally. She was still weak from her wounds and the dehydration she'd suffered, and only just yesterday had Lord Elrond said she could get out of bed and walk, but only around her room, until she was stronger.

Torien absent mindedly ran her right hand through her hair, and frowned when it hit upon a snag.

Reaching both hands up, she ran her hands through her hands again and effectively got her fingers tangled.

"Ai, stupid tangles," she muttered, pulling her fingers free.

Her hair was a matted mess of warrior braids, knots and dirt. She hadn't washed her hair since, oh, three days before she had been ambushed by orcs.

"Need help with that?"

Torien turned around and saw Arwen standing in the doorway, grinning.

"Oh, yes. Do you have any idea how irritating it is to be sleeping on a rat's nest?!" Torien replied, smiling.

"I'm afraid that's never happened to me, seeing that I'm so pampered and all that lady like stuff," Arwen joked, grabbing a hair brush and pulling up a chair behind Torien.

Even though Arwen couldn't see her, Torien raised an eyebrow.

"Pampered, my dear friend? I don't even know the meaning of the word!" Torien said, flapping her arms around comically.

The two burst out laughing.

"All right, so, where do I start in this wonderful mess of hair?" Arwen asked, some light sarcasm threading through her words. She knew that Torien wouldn't take any offense.

"The braids," Torien replied automatically. "If you can somehow untangle a couple, I can help you."

"Alright."

A few minutes later, Arwen had managed to untangle all of the braids and Torien was skillfully unbraiding them, while Arwen started to brush the tangles out, starting at the bottom.

"Your hair is a beautiful brown," Arwen commented.

"Thank you," Torien replied, as she finished unbraiding the second to last braid.

Grabbing the last braid, she glanced down at it and her breath caught in her throat.

_"Torien, where are you?!" _

_A small, giggling elfling came barreling around the corner and was swept up in her older brother's arms._

_"You're home!" Torien said, clapping her hands. Her brother smiled at her and set her down. She immediately pulled a pouting face._

_"I want you to hold me," she said grumpily. _

_"Just a minute, seler. I've got something for you," her brother said, digging around in his pack._

_Torien brightened._

_"Ah ha! Found it!" Her brother handed her a small leather package and Torien immediately opened it._

_And found a small bronze bead in it. _

_The bead was covered with delicate carvings of trees and there was a tiny, tiny inscription on it._

_Torien picked the bead up carefully and looked at her brother, confused._

_"It's a bead," she said slowly. Her brother smiled his crooked smile and pulled her into his lap._

_"I know it may not have much significance to you now, with you being so small, but you will understand as you get older," he said._

_Torien simply nodded. _

_"What does it say?" She asked. She was just only learning to read._

_"It says, "To my blazing flower. With great love from her brother." _

_A simple inscription for a simple item._

_Torien's brother took a strand of her hair and began to swiftly braid it._

_"Here, let me see the bead," he said. Torien obediently handed it to him and he finished the braid, the bead hanging towards the end._

_"There. How do you like it?" _

_Torien pulled the braid over in front of her face and studied it intently. Her brother stifled a laugh at the look on her face._

_"I like it!" She declared, the serious look on her face quickly replaced with a wide smile._

_"Good, I'm glad you do."_

"Torien. Torien, are you okay?"

Arwen's concerned voice broke through her thoughts and she realized she was crying.

"I-I'm okay," she said, calming down and drying her tears with the sleeve of her nightgown.

"I just got caught up in a memory, that's all." Torien took a few deep breaths and felt her self relax and calm down.

Arwen placed a hand on Torien's should and gently rubbed it.

"Arwen, why do memories hurt so much sometimes?" Torien asked suddenly.

"I don't know Torien. I really don't know."

Arwen finished brushing Torien's hair, but made sure to avoid the braid that held a bead, and then helped her back to her bed.

"Do want anything to eat?" Arwen asked.

Torien shook her head. "No, but thanks. I just feel like resting."

Arwen nodded and was leaving when she turned around and said,

"I'm sorry Torien." Then she left.

Torien knew exactly what she meant and a few more tears slipped down her cheeks, as she fell asleep.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**Wow, poor Torien. :)**

**So, please, please, please, please, 100x PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! :) They give me the motivation to write new chapters! ;)**

**Thanks to everyone who's read and REVIEWED this story!**

**WoodElfJedi**

**#durinsday**


	11. The Elflings Part I

**Okay, I believe my next update will be on Friday, **_**but**_**, I might update sooner or later than that. Let's say around Friday, alright? :)**

**So, I had this thought of how cool it would be if I finished this on Midsummer's Day. Don't you think so too?! :)**

**Thanks to everyone who has read this! It is very much appreciated!**

**Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. XD**

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

_Two weeks later. 12 weeks before Midsummer's Day._

Torien smiled as she wringed out her wet hair. She was fully healed and today, Arwen was going to show her around Imladris. Torien was really excited, after being limited to only her room for the past three weeks.

The memories from her past still plagued her, but they weren't as bad as before.

Opening the wardrobe, she selected a pale green tunic and pair of light brown leggings.

The tunic was pretty simple. It had a V-shaped neckline, but it wasn't super low. It had some simple elvish embroidery at the hem, which consisted of a twisting line of sliver thread, that curled into circles at some points. It was a solid pale green color, that suited Torien's chocolate brown hair and bright green eyes.

The leggings were a light brown color, and a winding vine in a darker brown thread wound down the sides of the leggings.

Torien pulled her clothes on, but left her feet bare for the moment.

Padding over to the bed, she grabbed her hairbrush and began the task of brushing her thick, dark brown hair, until all the tangles were out. Once all the knots were all out, Torien separated a piece of her hair from the right, top side of her hair and began to do a fishtail braid. After braiding a good amount of it, she strung her bead onto it and then braided the rest of it.

After checking herself in the mirror, she rummaged around in the small dresser for some stockings.

Someone knocked softly on the door.

"Come in!" Torien called, opening another drawer.

She glanced behind her briefly as the door opened and saw that it was Arwen.

"_Mae govennen, mellon nin," _Torien greeted, her voice slightly muffled from the items in the drawer.

_"Quel amrun," _Arwen said back, smiling.

"Just give me a minute to find a.. Ah ha! Found them!" Torien triumphantly held up a pair of cream colored stockings and grinned.

"To find a pair of stockings," she said, finishing her sentence, as she pulled them on.

Arwen grinned at Torien's antics. It was obvious she had a sense of humor, but how it came out sometimes, that was the tricky part. She could either be sarcastic or make a bad joke, it was just different from any elf Arwen had known. And she didn't mind at all.

Torien popped up from the other side of the bed, pulling a boot on and said,

"I'm extremely excited about seeing Imladris. I can't tell you how much I dislike being confined to a bed. Or a room, for that matter."

Arwen giggled. "Dan and Ro have a friend that's exactly the same way. Except, he tends to sneak out whenever he can't take it anymore, no matter how injured he is. Father's had to threaten to chain him to the bed once or twice."

Torien chuckled. "I may or may not have done that a couple times," she said, standing up and heading towards the door.

"Torien!"

"What? Every wood elf does it at least once!"

Arwen shook her head, but a smile still adorned her face.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

Two hours later, Arwen and Torien had toured the kitchens, the Hall of Fire, the library, and the armory. They were currently strolling through one of the many gardens that Imladris held.

"You know, every year, Imladris holds a Midsummer ball and _Adar _invites Mirkwood and Lothlorien," Arwen said, looking at Torien.

"If you're going to stay for awhile..." She purposefully trailed off.

"I don't know. I was considering it," Torien replied. "I wouldn't be over staying my welcome, would I?"

Arwen shook her head vehemently. "No, no, my friend, you wouldn't be! Rivendell is a place of rest and peace. Anyone who enters, can stay as long as they wish."

Torien nodded, contemplating Arwen's words.

She opened her mouth to reply, when she heard the sounds of childish laughter.

She stopped in her tracks and listened for it again.

Arwen noticed her strange reaction and turned back around, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?"

Torien looked at her with a strange look on her face.

"Arwen, are there any elflings in Imladris?"

"Aye. We have a ward of sorts for the little ones who's parents have died. Or sailed."

Torien turned to her.

"Show me."

_**THELONEWARRIOR **_

Turning the corner around a rose bush, Torien was met with the sight of six elflings, five of then running around a grass covered clearing, chasing each other. Two older elleths were sitting on a stone bench watching them and doing embroidery at the same time. The sixth elfling was standing off to the side, sitting against a tree, with her thumb in her mouth. She was smaller than the others and she had light blond hair, so light, it was almost white. Torien couldn't see her eyes, for they were closed, as if she was sleeping.

"These are the elflings of Imladris, _mellon nin_," Arwen said. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Oh, yes please." Torien replied. "But, Arwen, there's something I need to tell you."

Arwen turned in order to see Torien's face.

"What is it?"

"I know this may sound... odd, but ever since I grew up and saw the innocent lives that elflings have for their childhood, I've always kept an eye out for them, despite that they're hardly any in Mirkwood anymore, since the darkness began to spread. They don't know war or the horrors of battle and they don't really care about your past. They're just, I don't know. Precious and endearing." Torien ducked her head, a light blush dusting her face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spout off like that," she said quietly.

"Torien, that's not odd at all." Arwen placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean."

Torien looked up. "You do?"

"I do, Torien Túvereniel. I do."

_"Hannon le," _Torien said, smiling brightly.

"Alright, let's go meet some elflings."

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**You know, reviews are always welcome, hint hint...**

**One a side note, who's seen the Lego parody of Legolas and Gimli's scene at the Black Gate? It's on theonering dot net. I found it extremely hilarious... *snickers* Poor Legolas... :)**

**See you soon!**

**WoodElfJedi, out.**

**#durinsday**


	12. The Elflings Part II

_Same day as previous chapter..._

"Léoma, Melannen, I'd like you to meet Torien," Arwen said, as they approached the bench that the two elleths were sitting on. The two stood and curtsied.

Arwen returned the curtsies with one of her own, while Torien just bowed.

"Torien, this is Lady Léoma and Lady Melannen. They're the caretakers of these elflings."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Torien," Léoma said.

Torien smiled. "Please, just Torien."

"Alright."

Léoma was a pretty elleth, with long, dark hair, that reached to her mid-back. Her eyes were a light blue, and had flecks of gray in them. Her features were perfectly proportioned, like all elves. She was shorter than Torien, but only by a couple inches.

Melannen, on the other hand, had light brown hair and dark brown eyes and was taller than Léoma. She was around Torien's height. Her features were also perfectly proportioned and she had a motherly air surrounding her.

"Are you new here?" Léoma asked curiously.

Torien nodded, watching the elflings. "Aye. I came here about three weeks ago."

"How come I haven't seen you then?"

"Léoma! Behave!" Melannen scolded gently.

"No, no, it's fine, Lady Melannen." Torien flashed a quick smile. Looking back at Léoma, she said,

"I'm a warrior and I just so happened to be wounded when I arrived, so I've been recovering."

"Oh."

Arwen spoke up. "Torien, would you like to meet them?" She gestured at the giggling elflings, who by now, had paused in their game, and were staring at them curiously.

"Oh, yes!"

Melannen turned and called, "Come here, young ones! There's someone who'd like to meet you!"

The elflings scurried over, still giggling, lined up in a straight line.

Pointing at each elfling, Melannen said, "This is Maethor, Galuorwen, Galuverior, Nimlosseth, Tórwain, and Laervir. Children, this is Torien."

The elflings waved and one of them ducked behind another.

Smiling, Torien knelt down on one knee in front of the hiding elfling. One bright eye peeked out, then another eye. Torien stayed were she was and held out her hand, palm facing up. A small, cautious hand slipped out from behind the other elfling, who was obviously one of the older ones, and placed itself into Torien's hand.

"Mae govennen, ai er," she said. The hand and eyes vanished immediately and Torien chuckled quietly.

Standing up, she looked at the elfling that was currently being used as a shield.

"Is he your brother?" She asked the young girl. The girl nodded.

"His name's Tórwain," she said, a bit of pride seeping into her tone. "I'm Galuorwen."

"Ah, then mae govennen, Galuorwen." Galuorwen smiled, but Torien sensed it wasn't completely genuine, for some reason.

"Alright, you've met Torien, now off you go," Melannen shooed them.

That's when Torien realized that the elfling sitting under the tree hadn't come over.

"Here, let's sit on the bench," Arwen said, seating herself. The other three women did the same, but Torien kept looking at the little girl under the tree.

"Is something wrong, Torien?" Léoma asked.

Torien glanced over at her, then back at the elfling. "Who's the young one under the tree?"

"Oh, her? Her name's Calathiel." Léoma picked her embroidery back up and began working on it. "Lords Elladan and Elrohir found her when she was only weeks old, in the burned ruins of a village towards the south, at the base of the Misty Mountains." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "They said that she was wrapped in a blanket and there was a note attached to it. Oddly enough, the ink was a glowing gold, like it was written by the Valar themselves!"

"What did it say?" Torien asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It said that her name was Calathiel and that when her true parents were found, her voice would return."

Torien frowned. "What do you mean her voice would return?"

Léoma shrugged. "She's mute," she said bluntly. "And there's no hope of finding her parents, because it's assumed they were killed, along with the rest of her village."

"Hmm."

Torien mulled over this new piece of information and studied the elfling again.

Her hair was so pale, it was nearly white. Not a silvery white, just...white.

Torien stood. She wanted to meet this elfling.

Léoma glanced up from her embroidery. "Where are you going?"

"To meet her."

"Who's...Oh, Calathiel."

Torien began to walk over, but Léoma grabbed her arm.

"What?"

"Be careful."

"Why?"

"Because she can speak mentally, like the Lady Galadriel," Léoma warned. "She's only done it with a couple elves. Guard your thoughts carefully, Torien."

Torien nodded and Léoma removed her hand from her arm.

Torien approached the young elf, her booted feet making no noise as they went from stone to grass. The elfling didn't move from her position.

Torien leaned against the tree and sat down next to the girl. The girl's eyes opened, revealing piercing deep blue eyes, that were filled with curiosity and wariness at the same time.

"Hello," Torien said, smiling.

"I don't know if you heard us, but my name's Torien. I've heard yours is Calathiel."

The elfling nodded slowly. Confusion swept over her face momentarily, but the girl's blank face reappeared.

Torien suddenly felt something probing her mind, and she realized that it was Calathiel.

Not heeding Léoma's warning, she let her mental shields down and a small presence entered her mind, surprised, hesitant, and curious, all at the same time.

Torien closed her eyes and allowed the elfling before her to explore her mind, but when she came upon a section of Torien's memories, Torien slammed her shields down, cutting her off.

_'No. No one's looking at those. I don't even want to remember them.'_

Torien's eyes snapped open, and she saw the slightly hurt look on Calathiel's face.

"I'm sorry, little one," she whispered. "But that's an area that's off limits, okay?"

The same presence tapped her shields again, as Calathiel nodded, understanding on her face.

Torien slowly let her shields down again and jumped slightly when a voice echoed in her head.

_"I understand, Torien, daughter of Túvereniel. I too, have memories that I do not wish to be revealed.'_

"You do?"

_'Aye, that I do. But they are not important. Why do you not wish for those certain memories to come to the light?'_

Torien sighed. _'Because some parts of my past are parts that I do not wish to remember. They're painful,'_ she replied mentally.

Calathiel's head tilted to the side slightly. _'Everyone has memories like that.'_

The two sat it silence for a moment, Torien's mind still being explored by Calathiel, but carefully so.

_'How old are you?'_ Torien asked.

_'I'm nine summers old,'_ was the reply.

Suddenly, something seemed to click mentally for both of them and the two jumped.

'_What was that?!'_ Torien exclaimed.

_'I don't know,'_ Calathiel said, confused._ 'It's almost like we connected or something.'_

_'Okay, did you say connected? I've barely known you for five minutes!' _

_'Yes, I know... Maybe we should speak to Lord Elrond about this, since he knows some things about telepathy and the like,'_ Calathiel said worryingly.

_'I agree. You know what? You sound much older than your actual age.'_

_'I know. It kind of scares me.'_

_'It does?'_

_'Aye. Not a whole lot, but it does occasionally.'_

Torien stood, as did Calathiel, who was really small and short. Unusually short for her age, actually.

_'Let's see if Lord Elrond can see us, alright?'_

Calathiel nodded and grabbed Torien's hand. Torien stiffened for the slightest second, then relaxed.

Passing Arwen and the others, she said,

"Arwen, Calathiel's going to show me around the gardens. See you tonight?"

Arwen nodded and Torien paused and leaned closer to her.

"When and where should I met you?"

Arwen thought for a minute, then grinned.

"Meet me at my room at five o'clock, okay?"

Torien nodded and then she and Calathiel hurried off, leaving two confused elleths behind them.

Just before they turned the corner, Torien felt as if someone was watching her closely, but the feeling passed quickly.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**Ooh, looks like we've already got trouble!**

**If you can't tell already, this certain little elfling is going to play a decent sized part in this story. She also has an indirect part of how Torien and Legolas meet. Whoops, spoilers! XD Also, Torien does seem like she's trusting Calathiel a lot, doesn't it? Bad thing, good thing here?**

**If Calathiel seems 'grownup' for her age, sorry about that. She's not going to seem like that all the time, just sometimes. Probably a lot in the next couple chapters, but I'm getting there. Can you guess who her 'true' parents are? *snickers***

**Please review!**

**WoodElfJedi, out.**

**#durinsday**


	13. The Riddle Revealed

**I realized that I forgot something in the previous chapter.**

**The inspiration for Calathiel came from my good mellon, KiyaJinnSkywalkerKenobi. Hannon lle, mellon nin! :)**

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

_Same day as previous chapter. 12 weeks before Midsummer's Day..._

"You say it was like something clicked?" Elrond asked.

Both Torien and Calathiel nodded.

"She was exploring my mind when it happened," Torien said.

Elrond stood and walked to the balcony behind his desk. Standing in the doorway, he thought over this mystery.

Torien and Calathiel remained where they were, Torien sitting in one of the two chairs that were in front of Elrond's desk, with Calathiel in her lap, snuggled up against her.

_'It is the will of Eru that this has happened.'_

Elrond's mother-in-law's voice said in his head.

_'You need to show them the note and explain it, no matter the consequences. This is vital to Torien's mental healing, as destined by Eru. I can feel it.'_

_'I will do as you suggest, my lady,' _Elrond replied. He turned back to see that Calathiel's eyes were wide.

"It appears that you have heard the conversation, young one," Elrond said, sitting back down and opening a drawer.

A faint blush dusted Calathiel's cheeks.

_'It was unintended, my lord,' _she said to him, shifting against Torien, trying to find a more comfortable position. Torien allowed her, as she too, shifted in her seat. Her hand had fallen asleep, and she shook it, trying to get the blood flowing again.

"I have something to show you two."

Elrond pulled out a piece of paper that was folded in half and it seemed to glow. He moved a few papers and an ink well aside and layed the piece of paper down and unfolded it, revealing swirling gold script, that shone brightly from the page.

Calathiel and Torien leaned closer to look at it.

"This small piece of paper was found with Calathiel. We...I, didn't understand it, and still do not, for the way the words are written is strange."

"May I?" Torien asked, reaching for the paper. Elrond nodded and handed it to her.

Maneuvering her arms around Calathiel's small body, Torien read the paper aloud.

"This is Calathiel. Her parents are dead, and her fate is unknown. Except for one thing.

One stormy night, tears and love shall intertwine.

Until that day, shall this elfling remain, as silent as stone.

Except for her thoughts, which will not, and cannot, be quieted.

As for her features, well, color will remain to be seen,

Until that stormy night.

Hold this dear and near, for Eru's will cannot be changed.

When her parents return, so shall her message and color."

Torien looked up. "I see what you mean by confusing," she said, a small smile on her face.

Calathiel looked up at her sleepily, and snuggled closer, with a silent sigh.

Torien ran her fingers through Calathiel's hair and spoke quietly.

"The 'her thoughts' line must mean her mental powers" she said to Elrond.

"And her color must mean her hair and eyes," he continued.

"But what does it mean, 'When her parents return'?" Torien asked, a confused look on her face.

Calathiel grasped the single braid that Torien had in her hair, and played with the end of it, her eyes looking really sleepy.

She suddenly yawned widely, bringing a tender and amused smile to Torien's face. Torien moved her hand from Calathiel's hair to her back and rubbed small, soothing circles on it.

Unable to resist the call of sleep, Calathiel's eyes glazed over and she fell into elven dreams.

Elrond, his voice quiet, said, "I too, am confused with this...riddle. I wish I could explain it..."

"But you can't," Torien finished. "Yet, I think that you think that I have something to do with the parents line, don't you?"

Elrond nodded slowly. He did not want to have this elfling suddenly thrust into Torien's care. She barely even knew the little one!

Torien sighed and cradled the sleeping elfling close to her. Subconsciously, she began to hum a lullaby her _naneth _used to when she was little.

"Torien, I do not wish for the responsibility of this elfling to be thrust upon you like this," Elrond said.

Torien nodded in understanding, still humming quietly.

"On occasion, sometimes a couple, or a single elf, will ask for the wardship over one of the orphaned elflings," he said.

"So, they basically adopt them?"

"Aye. But if they mistreat the young one, Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel, who you have yet to meet, or myself, can pull back on the adoption and return the child to the Ward."

"Are you suggesting that I consider this?"

Elrond nodded and studied her expression.

A mask appeared to have taken over her face, so unlike the tender look she had had just minutes earlier. Elrond recognized it. It was the expression of a warrior in a battle. Calculating, assessing the risks, focused on the task at hand.

"I'll consider it, my lord," Torien finally said.

"Good. Now, how about the sleeping bundle in your arms?"

Torien chuckled softly. "I do not know," she replied. "Is there some place I should place her or someone to give her back to?"

Elrond took a quick glance out one of the window, assessing the time.

"I believe if you head back to the gardens to the spot where the others were playing, Melannen will tell you what to do."

"Thank you, my lord. For everything."

Torien then gathered the sleeping Calathiel in her arms, and walked out of the room.

Elrond stared out into space, his eyes unfocused, as he processed what'd just happened.

_'You did well, my son.'_

_'Thank you. How does Celebrian fare?'_

There was a chuckle.

_'She is doing well. She sends you her regards and love and says she'll be home in time for the Midsummer.'_

_'Good. Thank you for your wisdom in this situation.'_

_'You're welcome. Tenna' san''_

_'Tenna' san'.'_

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**If you can't guess who the 'mother-in-law' of Elrond is, it's Galadriel.**

**So, what do you think? I'm aware that it's the middle of the week and I know [personally] that I wasn't going to update until Friday, but my plot bunny was begging to be fed. *glares at plot bunny***

**So, where I live, school's ending this week. How about you guys?**

_**Elvish Translations;**_

_**Tenna' san': **_**Until then**

**WoodElfJedi**

**#durinsday**


	14. The Feast of Spring Part I

_Again, same day as previous chapter..._

Torien got a few weird looks as she walked back to the gardens. After all, she was carrying a sleeping elfling, AND she was new to Rivendell. After a few too many turns to the right and stopping once to ask for directions, she finally made it to the garden where the elflings were.

Arwen was no longer there, but Léoma and Melannen still were.

"Oh!" Léoma exclaimed, seeing Calathiel cradled in Torien's arms. "She fell asleep!?"

Torien nodded. "Where do I put her?"

Melannen stood up and said, "We have a place for them where they sleep. I'll show you." Turning back to Léoma, she said, "Bring them in in about fifteen minutes." She glanced up at the sun. "It's almost time for their naps." Léoma acknowledged her command with a smile and a nod and returned to her embroidery.

Melannen turned around and headed out of the garden and to the right. Torien followed her, holding Calathiel securely in her arms. She was surprised she hadn't woke, with all the movement from walking and the talking.

A short walk later, they came to the wing of Imladris that contained the kitchens. The two women walked up a short set of stairs to a second level, and two doors down on the left, Melannen opened the door, revealing two beds on either side of the room, four beds in total.

Melannen went to the bed farthest from the door on the right, and pulled back the neatly made, baby blue covers.

Torien laid Calathiel gently on the bed and gently took her shoes off.

Calathiel shifted and moved her mouth a little, as if talking, then lay still. Melannen allowed Torien to tuck Calathiel in.

On sudden impulse, Torien pressed a light kiss on Calathiel's brow.

"_Quel_ _kaima, _Calathiel," she said.

Torien turned and quietly thanked Melannen, then left to go find Arwen.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

Torien knew she was early, but she knocked on Arwen's bedroom door anyway.

"Come in!"

Torien opened the door, and paused in her footsteps.

There were two dresses lying on the bed.

One was a deep blue and had silver embroidery along the neckline, hem, and sleeves, that swirled and shimmered brightly. The sleeves were long and angled, and the neckline was square. A belt, about as wide as Torien's pinkie was long, was draped over it. It was leather and it too had silver embroidery on it, and a few sapphires dotted it.

The other dress was a leaf green and had gold embroidery in the same places, but the sleeves were shorter. There wasn't a belt, but the dress spilt at the waist, revealing a mint green panel, that was decorated in swirls and flowers of gold thread.

"Are you going to come in, or are you just going to stand there until kingdom come?" Arwen quipped, startling Torien out of her daze.

Thoroughly stunned and speechless (Which was unusual for her), Torien stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Arwen glanced over at Torien from her place in her closet and giggled.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Arwen, t-the dresses!" Torien said quietly.

"What about them?" Arwen came out of the closet, dressed in a pale purple, gauzy dress, that bunched up at the top slightly and was sleeveless, with materiel hanging down where the sleeves would be, in ripples of shimmery cloth. Her hair wasn't done yet, for it hanged down her back in waves.

"They're beautiful!" Torien exclaimed, her voice back. "I've never seen anything like them!"

Arwen couldn't help the grin that spread over her face.

"Aye. One of them is for you to wear tonight," she said, sitting down at her vanity. "And both are for you to keep."

"Arwen, are you sure?"

"Would I lie?" Arwen said, brushing her hair.

"No..."

Arwen heard a 'plop' and turned in her seat, and found Torien sitting on her bed, mindful of the dresses, her face filled with shock and surprise, her jaw slack. Arwen smiled happily.

"I accept your gift, _mellon_ _nin_. _Hannon_ _lle_!" Torien said, a smile breaking out on her face.

"_Ier_ _creoso_ _lle_. Now, shall we get you ready for the Feast of Spring?"

_One hour later. Approximately 6:00 PM..._

Torien spun around, making the skirt of her dress flare up.

Coming to a halt, she remarked, "I've never had anything like this, even when I was little. _Hannon_ _lle_ again, Arwen."

Torien had chosen the deep blue dress. She looked absolutely beautiful in it. It set off her brown hair and green eyes perfectly. Arwen had done her hair back in a half up style, 'tying' it back in an elegant celtic knot. She did leave the braid with the bead in, cleverly twisting it along with another strand in her hair and joining it with the knot, the bead somehow landing in the exact middle.

"You look beautiful, mellon nin," Arwen said, smiling.

Torien laughed. "You're more beautiful than I am," she said, grinning. "No one in all of Arda can outshine your beauty!"

A light blush dusted Arwen's cheeks, highlighting her beauty even more.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Who is it?" Arwen called.

"Two _ellons_ looking for some company," a mournful voice said.

Arwen rolled her eyes jokingly and said, "Come in, you two jokers."

Elladan and Elrohir opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.

And stared.

"El, I think we've found our partners for the Spring Feast," Elrohir said, grinning.

Arwen slapped his arm playfully, while Torien blushed, but she was smiling, all the same.

Simultaneously, the twins bowed from the waist, stood and held out their left hands.

"May we-" Elladan began.

"Escort you to dinner?" Elrohir finished.

Arwen curtsied, but because Torien was unused to doing so, she bowed.

"We would be honored," Arwen said, and she took Elladan's hand, while Torien took Elrohir's.

And the four young elves left the room, laughing at the formalities that they had just so seriously played out.

_**THELONEWARRIOR**_

**Okay, to explain the reason why Torien bowed, despite being in a skirt, is because she's a warrior, and used to being in the Guard, and because she wasn't trained how to be a 'lady'. The little she knew probably fled her when her home was destroyed. She only knows some of the basics, such as good manners, but remember, she's lived with the army for many years.**

**Apologies for this chapter being so late. I got busy and was too tired at night to write.**

_**Elvish used:**_

**Quel kaima: **Sleep well

**Ier creoso lle: **You are welcome


	15. IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO EVERYONE!

_Mae govennen, everyone. (Well met)_

_Sorry I haven't updated for a long while. I've been extremely busy, and have been suffering from the lack of wanting to write, but I believe that it comes from all the stress of being so busy. Also, I have been pretty tired. :)_

_This is the last week that I will be super busy, so there may possibly be a chapter NEXT WEEK. I'm not promising anything, though._

_Also, thanks to the people who took the poll on my page!_

_I'm not sure what's going to happen for me in July, but I should have the story idea that got the most votes, first chapter up sometime around then._

_Oh, you want to know which one won? _

_It was..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_THE FUNNY MOMENTS OF THE FELLOWSHIP!_

_So, if you guys (and gals!) Have any ideas for a 'funny moment', please, please, please, let me know! _

_I'm thinking of having that story go from when the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, to sometime after Aragorn's coronation. Sound good? :)_

_Also, I have another plot bunny (*nonchalantly kicks a few hundred bunnies into already stuffed closet*) that's going around through my head, but I think that one will wait, because it's a variant of this story._

_Oh, one more thing._

_Thanks to all the people who have read, reviewed, followed, and favorited The Lone Warrior! It means a ton to me! :)_

_Oh, and ErinKenobi2986, I will get your idea written sometime soon, alright? :)_

_To the members who have already reviewed this chapter before, and would like to comment on the new A/N, you have to sign out to review. :)_

_Oh, does anyone know of some really good Elladan and Elrohir fics? Like, not the ones where there's magic and all that whatnot (I'm not criticizing anyone.), but you know, like family, maybe some hurt/comfort, and a huge dose of humor? Do you catch my drift? Thanks. :)_

_See all of you soon! XD_

_WoodElfJedi_

_#durinsday_


	16. Author's Note II

Hi, everyone.

I apologize profusely for not updating pretty much at all this summer. I was busy and stressed out on a few occasions and...

I lost my muse for a bit.

So, here's what I want to know from y'all:

Would you like me to write the next chapter in the day after the Feast?

**OR**

Would you like me to skip ahead several weeks, say, maybe four or five, and do flashbacks?

I would love everyone's opinion. I need to know this.

Btw, I do not plan on abandoning this story. Even if it takes me a year to write and complete, I am not going to abandon it.

Thanks you.

WoodElfJedi


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